2011 Florida State Football Post-National Signing Day Review
What more can be said about the No. 1 recruiting class in college football for 2011 that already hasn’t been said?
A day after the allure of National Signing Day has passed, Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State Seminoles football program looks to build on the momentum it’s made through recruiting and turn it into on-field success.
As 24 hours have passed since we know where almost all recruits will be headed for college next year, we can review FSU’s accomplishments post-National Signing Day.
(All quotes taken from The Palm Beach Post Blogger Tom D’Angelo’s interviews with Jimbo Fisher and athletes.)
Jimbo Fisher Is a Recruiting Mastermind
1 of 10
A lot of credit is due FSU’s head coach Jimbo Fisher.
He started his career at Florida State as the offensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting behind Coach Bobby Bowden, watching and learning from the greatest football mind in the college game.
Now that he is at the helm of FSU’s football program, of course, he is a primary reason kids want to commit to play Seminole football.
But don’t tell him he’s the reason, because he will turn it around, as he did in yesterday’s press conference, and tell you the staff he has put together has more influence than him when it comes to recruiting.
Of his coaches James Coley, Mark Stoops, Eddie Gran, Rick Trickett, Greg Hudson, Dameyune Craig, Lawrence Dawsey, D.J. Eliot and Odell Haggins, Fisher had to say this:
“They’re good people. They’re all very good coaches. They’ve all had success at the highest levels you can have it at but none of them think they invented it. They’re guys who like [to] sit around and talk and I think that’s one of the keys to recruiting that they’re down to earth people who can build relationships and talk to folks, and they have tremendous work ethic. They are willing to put in the hours. They’re very unique, from top to bottom they all can recruit they all can coach.”
An Impressive Haul of South Floridians
2 of 10
South Florida and Florida in general has always been known as a powerhouse state that produces the best and most sought after athletes. Jimbo knows this and used his close proximity to SoFla to FSU’s advantage.
Seventeen players from the 2011 recruiting class came from an area between Miami and the Treasure Coast of Florida and a total of 77 recruits from South Florida signed on NSD.
From his press conference on Wednesday, Coach Fisher had to say this of his recruiting connections to Florida:
“We have a lot of connections there. I’ve always recruited West Palm Beach. [When I was at] Auburn, LSU it was one of my main areas. That’s where Coley grew up. Eddie’s been there all year. Dawsey knows a lot of folks in that area, in Belle Glade and all that. We just have a lot of coaches down there. D.J.’s coached down there. There’s a lot of guys who know the area. It’s a very competitive area and we are going to concentrate where the players are.”
Florida State University Has the Intangibles That Appeal to Any Recruit
3 of 10
As a Florida State University student for the past three years, I’ll try to put my bias aside when I say that FSU as a whole is an appealing university for any student-athlete.
The campus is beautiful, ranging from magnificent Doak Campbell Stadium to spacious Landis Green, and the educational program here is top-notch.
Coach Fisher was asked during his press conference what was it that sold Florida State most on incoming freshman recruits. Was it the coaches? The facilities? The national growth of the program at large? Jimbo answered best:
“All of it. I think it’s all important. They all want to know ‘who can help me become a better person?’ You sell personal development over athletic development first. Where can my young man develop as a person? He loves [playing] ball. I know he’s going to work on that. But where does he get developed as a person? Who reinforces the values, accountability, dependability, learning how to make choices in life, then the academics, then the ball, then life after ball?”
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
ESPNU's No. 12 Overall DT Tim Jernigan Chooses Florida State
4 of 10
Timmy Jernigan, 6’2”, 275 pounds and the No. 2 overall DT in the nation surprised many by choosing to stay in Florida and play for the Seminoles.
Jernigan is a humongous pick up for FSU that already added several top offensive and defensive linemen this year.
“I had to figure whether I wanted to be close to home or do I want to go away. I have a couple of nephews they look up to me and they call me Tim Magic. I chose Florida State because it was a little closer to home,” Jernigan said to ESPNU.
Coach Fisher was more than excited by Jernigan’s signing and, as usual, credited someone other than himself with the signing, his DL coach Odell Haggins who had been recruiting Jernigan since the eighth grade:
“You know the athleticism and hope they just grow to the size they have. You see that passion to play, you see the instincts, the passion for the game and that’s the thing when kids come to camp and you’re around them, they get a feel for you, you get a feel for them. It was a tremendous get for us. We’ve known Tim is going to be a great player for a while.”
No. 1 Safety and 5-Star Recruit Karlos Williams Commits to FSU
5 of 10
Karlos Williams is the top safety in the country and combining his size, mental toughness and physical strength, he can play many defensive positions, but Coach Fisher is adamant about keeping him at strong safety.
Jimbo is very high on Karlos and his work ethic that’s earned him accolades such as his 5-star status saying:
“Karlos to me is a very unique guy. He committed to us right off the bat and he said ‘I want to go recruit other players, I know I want to go to Florida State.’ I think Karlos is one of those players who is very special [and] comes around about every 10 or 12 years because he is a true big guy on the back end who can play safety and won’t move to linebacker because he has 10.7 electronic speed and has great ball skills.”
A Strong Offensive Line Class Led by OL Bobby Hart
6 of 10
Considered one of the best 35 players in the country his senior year, Bobby Hart, 6’4” 283 lbs, is a hulking 16-year-old.
Coach Fisher was looking to beef up his offensive line with many of last year’s line either gone due to graduation or seniors, and Bobby Hart and his St. Thomas teammates have helped Fisher round it out.
“They are used to winning, they’re use to working [at St. Thomas], but they’re also very good people. [Coach] George Smith is, if not the most coveted coach in all of high school football, he’s one of the best out there. And those kids when they come out of his program they’re ready very quickly.”
James Wilder, Jr., an Elite Talent
7 of 10
Coming out of high school, many in the recruiting world though that James Wilder, Jr. was the best player on the defensive side of the ball. Surprisingly Wilder insisted on playing running back in college and Florida State obliged.
The No. 2 running back in the nation, Wilder committed to FSU before Fisher even coached his first game in 2010, but Wilder’s signing brought instant credibility to the Jimbo Fisher era at Florida State University.
People expect big things from Wilder in Tallahassee and based on his performance in high school, we should see Wilder in the ‘Noles backfield as early as this year sharing time with Jermaine Thomas, Ty Jones and Chris Thompson.
One of the Better Athletes in the Entire Class, No. 2 Tight End Nick O’Leary
8 of 10
Prepared to suit up in the Garnet and Gold next season, TE Nick O’Leary might get the starting job right out of the gates.
Florida State has lacked a solid tight end for some years now, but it seems that string will finally be over by signing the second best tight end in the nation.
With his above average blocking and even greater hands, O’Leary has the potential to become an FSU great… but we don’t want to put too much pressure on him yet.
On why he chose FSU, O’Leary said: “I want to go someplace that if tomorrow is my last day playing football, I’d still like to be there. FSU is that place.”
On if he ever got scared off by a 7-6 record: “From the beginning I noticed they were getting better. They got the number one recruiting class this year. I think that will help next year’s recruiting class also. I didn’t look at the (record). Never concerned me. I’m not going somewhere because I think they are going to win the national championship. The main thing I followed was just the recruiting class and looking at who they are signing.”
Giorgio Newberry
9 of 10
Versatility is something many football coaches covet.
Giorgio Newberry is the embodiment of versatility.
A monster of a kid, 6’5” 248 lbs., Newberry has the tools to shine both on the defensive and offensive side of the ball as a tackle.
"There are a lot of colleges that want me at offensive tackle, defensive tackle or defensive end. Some are even giving me my choice and just recruiting me as a jumbo athlete,” said Newberry to ESPN’s JC Shurburtt of his view on his versatility.
Of making an official visit to FSU last spring, Newberry had to sat that "it felt like family up there," Newberry said. “Jimbo Fisher is a real, real cool coach. I got to sit down with Coach Eliot and watch film. He taught me some more moves. I also got the chance to tour the facilities and even got to see a little spring practice. They are going to rebuild. I think Coach Fisher is going to get the job done."
Unfortunately, the ‘Noles Couldn’t Lure Tony Steward Away from Rival Clemson
10 of 10
Ranked the No. 9 prospect overall by ESPN, Tony Steward chose to take his 6’2” 225-pound frame to Clemson over the football program at Florida State.
Also a local boy from Florida, Steward was reported to be going back and forth between Clemson and FSU up until he made his decision, but ultimately chose to go out of state saying:
“The biggest challenge for me was my family and I feel like I’ve made the right decision,” he told ESPNU. “Being my age and (leaving) home is tough. I’m leaving behind a bunch of family and friends. It’s a new experience. I feel like I’ll be able to grow.”
Steward is the top linebacker in the country and FSU will surely miss his massive frame, rare speed and quick bursts, but the way FSU’s recruiting class has shaped up, I’m sure they won’t hinder on Steward’s decision to not attend FSU.
GO NOLES!
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
